Category: "Closures"

At the March 20, 2014 Michigan Senate Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Committee hearing on Senate Bill 869 (SB 869), Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Legislative Liaison Trevor VanDyke stated the MDNR fully supports eliminating the existing bass season limits from state law because recent science has proven that some of their concerns they have had in the past are no longer as large of a concern and giving flexibility to the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) to set an earlier season will be good for everyone in Michigan.

The NYS DEC is considering possible regulation changes to increase catch and release bass fishing opportunities. As you should know it has been an extremely long process to get to where we are with the current regulations. And by all accounts bass anglers have thoroughly enjoyed the increased opportunities and bass populations have been sustainable.

TOKYO -Representatives to a U.N. conference on biodiversity agreed early Saturday to expand protected areas on land and at sea in the hopes of slowing the rate of extinction of the world's animals and plants and preventing further damage to its ecosystems.

After marathon negotiations that stretched hours past the designated time, delegates also managed to overcome divisions between rich and poor countries to agree to share access to and the benefits of genetic resources such as plants whose extracts have been developed into medicines — a key sticking point that had threatened to doom the entire two-week meeting in Nagoya, southwest of Tokyo. Read entire article on Aol News (Note, the United States is one of only 3 countries in the world not a member of this agreement.)

TOKYO -Japan cautiously welcomed an International Whaling Commission proposal that would effectively allow commercial whaling for the first time in 25 years — though under strict quotas that the commission argues will reduce the global catch.

Despite a 1986 moratorium on whaling, Japan, Norway and Iceland catch whales for various IWC-sanctioned purposes, including scientific research — which opponents such as Australia and conservation activists say are a cover for commercial whaling.

DOHA, Qatar (March 21) - The Internet has emerged as one of the greatest threats to rare species, fueling the illegal wildlife trade and making it easier to buy everything from live baby lions to wine made from tiger bones, conservationists said Sunday.

DOHA, Qatar -Opposition grew Wednesday against a proposal to ban the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna, with several Arab countries joining Japan in arguing it would hurt poor fishing nations and wasn't scientifically justified.

HONOLULU -Wildlife officials lauded Washington's "holistic approach" to conservation in Hawaii after the Obama administration declared 48 species as endangered and announced plans to set aside more than 40 square miles on Kauai as critical habitat to allow the plants and animals to flourish. Read complete article on Aol News

DOHA, Qatar -A contentious battle between Asia and the West over the fate of the Atlantic bluefin tuna prized by sushi lovers overshadowed a United Nations conference that opened Saturday in the Gulf state of Qatar.

The 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, was discussing new proposals on regulating the trade in number of plant and animal species, including an all-out ban on the export of Atlantic bluefin that has been particularly opposed by seafood-mad Japan. Read complete article on Aol News